a princess at Heart

Ok, I'll admit it, I got totally into the Royal Wedding this weekend.  I watched so much coverage of it on Friday that Friday night I dreamt in British accents.  So why is that we (and perhaps I mean girls here, far more than I am talking to my male friends) get so caught up in the princesses?  Think about it.

Kate Middleton.
Cinderella.
Ariel.
Julia Stiles in the Prince and Me.
Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries.

We eat the stories up, stories of girls who seemed to be nothing more than ordinary and they end up being the princess, the one that some great man longs for, seeks, pines for, defends, loves.  Why do we eat them up?  Why do we watch the movies and the wedding over and over again?  Isn't it obvious?  We want to be the princess.  So often we are told (or all too often we tell ourselves) that we are no more than ordinary, we have nothing extraordinary to offer.  We long to be discovered, to be told that we are beautiful, to be swept up in a fairytale romance.  We want some great man to seek us, to pine over us, to daydream about us, to defend us and, ultimately, to love and marry us.

As a woman there is something written deep, so deep on our hearts that cannot be denied.  Oh, don't get me wrong, we try to deny it.  We try so hard.  We make ourselves believe that we are no Kate Middleton, nor will we ever be.  We can't.  We aren't the princess, we aren't worthy of that.  We weren't made for that.  How wrong we are my dear sisters, how wrong we are. 

We get swept up in these fairytale stories because seeing those women, watching them get their happy endings awakens in our own hearts the desire to be a princess.  Ok, maybe we aren't ALL going to marry Prince Harry, but that doesn't mean we can't be princeless-like (and just think, we'd have far less press to deal with if we don't ACTUALLY marry a prince!).  We see these stories and something in our heart is stirred, it sits up, wakes up and says YES!  That is what I want!  Why have I been laying back thinking that I deserve any less?
It is at that moment that Satan breaks in.  He tries to remind us how ordinary we are, how plain, boring, not smart, not pretty, uncool, not lovely, not enticing, not, not, not.  And isn't he doing a great job?  The wedding is over and we put our hearts back to sleep, we tell ourselves "that's nice for her, but that's just not my story."  But it IS our story.  It is the story we are meant for, the story we are created for.  We are created to be romanced, to be pursued, to be fought for, defended, and loved, in a profound and life-changing way.  We are all meant to have that man (yes, even religious sisters and consecrated women) who pursues us, who takes us dancing, brings us home to Mom and Dad to show us off, gives us some sentimental gift for Christmas that just makes our jaws drop.  We are all meant to be princesses, to be crowned with a love that sets our hearts on fire and puts a glow on our faces that can light up an entire country. 

{These ideas are not entirely my own.  I HIGHLY recommend "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge for more on what it means to be a woman.  This book continues to change the way I look at myself and at the world!}

Awaken your heart.  You are worthy of that princess story, you are meant for that fairytale.  Embrace your inner princess and remember that you ARE worthy.  You are a child of the God of the Universe, a child of the King of Kings and therefore you are already a princess.  Remember who God created you to be and live for the fairytale you were created for.